City of Modesto Gang Resistance Education and Training Program

The Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program is a life-skills competency program designed to provide students with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. G.R.E.A.T.'s violence prevention curriculum helps students develop values and practice behaviors that will assist them to avoid destructive activities. The G.R.E.A.T. program coordinates with federal, regional, state and local agencies, as well as individuals from community and civic groups. The goal of the G.R.E.A.T. program is to train law enforcement officers in a school-based curriculum in which the officers provide instruction to school-aged children in life skill competencies, gang awareness, and anti-violence techniques. Training in the core G.R.E.A.T. program is provided to officers from any state or local law enforcement agency.

The Modesto Police Department (MPD) will use these grant funds to teach the G.R.E.A.T Program components of Elementary and Middle School, Summer School, and Family, that collectively will reach nearly 16,000 students. The MPD, in collaboration with the Modesto City Schools and the Sylvan Union School District, will use the G.R.E.A.T. Program for the prevention and intervention elements of its comprehensive anti-gang strategy of prevention, intervention and suppression. The G.R.E.A.T. components will be coordinated with MPD's Police Activities League, School Safety Patrol, the countywide parent/juvenile information and education program W.A.K.E.U.P., Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, as well as the countywide Gang Awareness and Prevention Program G.A.P.P. Also supporting the Program is the Outreach Intervention Team, a multi-agency, collaborative team comprising a sworn officer, probation officer, and school representative. To sustain the program, the MPD, MCS and SUSD will work with the City of Modesto to identify funding sources.

CA/NCF